WIFE OF THE GODS by Kwei Quartey
Publisher Random House, July 2009 For fans of Alexander McCall Smith, a
debut mystery novel set in West Africa that introduces a marvelous detective
and a fascinatingly rich community
Set in Ghana, with the action moving back and forth between the capital city
of Accra and a small village in the Volta Region, Kwei Quartey’s lively
debut novel is the story of Detective Inspector Darko Dawson, a good family
man and a remarkably intuitive sleuth who is sent to the village of Ketanu—the
site of his mother’s disappearance, many years ago—to solve the murder of an
accomplished young AIDS worker.
As the mystery unfolds we meet a rich cast of characters, including the
Trokosi, young women (called Wives of the Gods) who are sent to live with
fetish priests to bring good fortune to their families. As Darko explores
the motivations and secrets of the residents of Ketanu, battling his own
anger issues and concerns for his ailing son, it becomes clear that in
addition to solving a recent murder, he is about to finally unravel the
shocking truth about his own mother's disappearance. 
“With great artistry, Quartey takes us on a mystical trip through the
heart of Ghana where we visit remarkable characters and find ourselves
tangled in unfathomable mysteries.”
-- Colin Cotterill, author of Curse of the Pogo Stick
“A sensitive novel of powerful family passions, set in the unique and vivid
colours of Ghana. It is a complex mystery and with a detective that I hope
we meet again.”
-- Anne Perry, author of Buckingham Palace Gardens
"WIFE OF THE GODS is a gem. Memorable fiction is always about discovery, and
this fascinating debut delivers much that is new. Kwei Quartey contrasts the
modern against the ancient while portraying his native West Africa in a way
that is always fresh and alluring. He introduces us to people we don’t know
who live a culture we’ve never imagined, and he manages to offer the most
elusive of fabulist gifts—an engrossing story we haven’t heard."
-- Stephen White, author of Dead Time
"Kwei Quartey's wonderful Inspector Darko Dawson mystery, Wife of the Gods,
brings to vivid life a character and a setting that no mystery fan should
miss."
-- Charles Todd, author of A Matter of Justice: An Inspector Ian
Rutledge Mystery
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